Recompense
by Cowjump
Summary: Neither tests nor missions can keep the students of Beacon Academy from being the children that they truly are. In the case of Team RWBY and this autumnal holiday, these obstacles proved woefully inadequate at halting the sisters' impractical plan. Happy Halloween!


_Recompense _

The idea was impossible—absurd, Weiss had said. Even Blake who chose to join the sisters on a whim of amusement believed at the most fundamental level that success was unlikely, but Yang seemed convinced that her plan would work and it was this conviction that brought her sister and the Faunus into the dark halls of Beacon Academy's dormitory on the latest of all October's eves. The plan was of trick-or-treating, an action that seemed far too childish for the heiress, causing her to opt out with no small amount of argument. Ruby, on the other hand, had been the sole cause and purpose of this plan, being that she was still young enough in the blonde's eyes to partake in the holiday. The young leader was now concealed beneath the flimsy disguise of a cloth Beowolf, leaving her vision obscured and voice muffled, but this could not inhibit either sister's excitement. A sense of giddy anticipation surrounded the young Faunus and goaded an entertained smile to her countenance despite her doubts and their current locale.

With empty bag in hand, the costumed girl was accompanied by her de facto chaperones down their dormitory's hall, around its corners, and to the furthest room from their own to begin the endeavor. She would be the only one to take part, Yang being purportedly content to sit back and keep her sister happy and Blake being altogether unconcerned with the holiday but having nothing better to do on this night. Regardless of their intentions, they were all in varying degrees of excited, but perhaps this came with the taboo notion of venturing out into the school past their curfew.

Having nothing else to occupy her attention as they walked down the halls, Blake began to reflect on Weiss' arguments against Yang's plan. Primarily, the heiress had been obstinate due to the divide between her self-described maturity and the immaturity of trick-or-treating. Though, concerns about their curfew and the illogicality of the other teams having candy did take precedence at times during her tirade. Yet neither sister was swayed by this attempt at suppression. Yang would have followed through with her plan no matter what, if only so her family's time-honored tradition would be upheld. Ruby, however, was upset at the time only because Weiss would not be joining them. Fortunately, after about a minute of consolation from the blonde, she was able to come to terms with her partner's absence from their group and smiled once again beneath her mask. Before the party left, the heiress made one last attempt to halt them through warning, but she was heeded by none and was instead wished a cheery farewell by the youngest of the four.

Now the three stood at the end of the hallway and at the furthest point from their own room. From this vantage, the corridors were found to be devoid of both life and sound. Neither conversation nor snoring could be heard even with enhanced hearing inherent to the young Faunus. The fixtures on the walls were dimmed, leaving the otherwise red carpeting a gloomy maroon. This stillness did not concern the effervescent blonde or her reticent partner, but instead the only one in their group who had been affected by Weiss' arguments. Ruby, despite having a costume to conceal her expression, was doubtlessly nervous at this dark hour as she gripped her bag tighter and refused to turn from her sister.

"Yang?" she asked. "Are you sure we have to do this? I mean, Weiss said nobody would get what we're doing. What if they're busy? I don't want to bother anybody."

"We don't have to, but it'll be fun!" Even in the face of unease, Yang's supportive grin did not waver. This had not been Ruby's first instance of trepidation tonight, but the combination of her sister's enthusiasm and Blake's calm, certain presence would bolster the young leader's confidence, if only gradually. "Look, nobody's going to get mad at you, Ruby. Just think of these rooms as the other houses back home."

"But there wasn't any Team CRDL back home!" With a hand concealed beneath the vague mimicry of a Beowolf's claw, Ruby pointed to the door nearest herself.

Yang laughed; it was not a sheepish or derisive laugh as much as it was an amused chuckle. "Yeah, I'll give you that. There weren't any mace-wielding bullies that lived around us, but we had a few neighbors we didn't like. Remember the Simmonses? Remember how they only gave out one of those bite-sized chocolate bars to anyone who came by?" The mask wobbled in the hesitant affirmative. "They were jerks, but we went to their house every year, and you know what? We got more candy because of it. It'd be okay if you choose not to knock on CRDL's door, but you'd probably be missing out on more candy, right?"

Blake's thoughts shifted to the unshakeable confidence in Yang's speech. However, these thoughts did not admire the blonde's ability to motivate young Ruby nor did they regard the references to the sisters' lives before Beacon. Her contemplative state attached itself to Yang's talk of candy as though it was an abundant commodity regularly traded and handed out in these halls. As Weiss had argued, the school was incredibly strict as to what foods were allowed and among the contraband was candy, being that it wholly counterproductive to the health and fitness focuses of this academy. Yet the certainty in which Yang spoke of the sweets' existence had brought about Blake's intrigue and Ruby's renewed spirit.

The shortest of the three perked at this latter question, becoming immediately interested in the mention of more candy. "I guess," she drawled while mulling over the impasse. On one hand, she would have to deal with Team CRDL and the possibility of other teams not being interested in her festivities, but on the other hand, there was the potential of sating her own sweet tooth. This second hand interested her greatly and pushed aside all negativities spawning from hypothetical scenarios. "All right, I'll do it." Though her tone was intended to be still yet reluctant, her revitalized eagerness overshadowed this. "Can I go now?"

"Yup!" Yang chirped. "If something happens or if you need anything, me and Blake will be right behind you." To further her partner's point, Blake nodded and assented to this promise of support.

With permission granted, Ruby scurried over to Team CRDL's door and immediately knocked thrice before bouncing on her toes out of excitement. Perhaps her pursuit of confections was a tad overzealous, but with encouragement from such an infectiously positive source, Blake could not fault the child. However, this enthusiasm momentarily faltered when the disembodied head of Cardin Winchester peeked through the secretive crack of his door as he snapped, "What is it?"

It took but a moment for Ruby's energy to return to her, and once it did, she exclaimed, "Trick or treat!"

To say the boy's expression was unenthused would be an egregious understatement. He sent a glare that possibly matched any Weiss could ever muster in terms of uninterested disdain, yet his nonplussed gaze would eventually turn to the other girls standing in the hall and fixate upon Yang. In the brief second that he looked at the blonde, his glower sharpened before he turned back to Ruby and grumbled, "Yeah, hold on." He stepped away from the door for a moment and returned scornfully with a handful of candy which was haphazardly thrown into Ruby's open bag. The young girl barely had the chance to chirp her gratitude before Cardin said, "Whatever. Just leave us alone." At this, the door to Team CRDL's room was shut firmly and decisively.

During this exchange, the Faunus had been surprised. Not only had the historically antagonistic Cardin Winchester been compliant to an assumingly unexpected event, he had had candy that he was willing to part with. The contraband confections which, up until this point, were believed impossible by Blake and Weiss were now evidently factual. The girl in black did not think too much on the matter, but did come to accept that the sisters' endeavor could prove more successful than she initially believed. However, Cardin's ephemeral glance at Yang had not gone unnoticed. To some degree, admittedly selfish protectionism seized Blake, but this sentiment quickly subsided and cooled to a calm suspicion. His gaze had not communicated desire, but instead fear—for what reason, Blake could not be sure.

Fortunately, she would find distraction in the zealous boltings of her leader from one team's door to another. After her initial trepidation, Ruby was now enthralled by this holiday's event and rushed from one room to the next, greeting those that answered with the same exclamation of "Trick or treat!" and child-like innocence. This pace was relatively quick, but at the same time, it was comfortable enough for the couple that chaperoned her.

Yang hummed contentedly as she watched her sister from afar. "You know, we get so caught up in all this fighting that we sometimes forget what's important. Don't get me wrong, the thrill of the hunt is awesome, but so is seeing Ruby happy like this."

"She does seem to be enjoying herself," Blake mused.

"Yeah, I'll say. One mention of the word 'candy' and she's off." She let out a short laugh. "But whatever it takes, I guess."

Blake smirked. "She takes after her sister, doesn't she?" A raised eyebrow from the blonde encouraged the Faunus to elaborate. "Impulsive, stubborn, doesn't listen to Weiss when she says something is impossible."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. We're not cool and emotionless like you and Weiss." Yang's teasing tone met Blake's and was followed by a confrontational silence. However, this faded with disregarding laughs from the partners as they stopped for Ruby so that she could visit the next set of rooms. "But you gotta admit," Yang sighed, "the kid's happiness is infectious."

Ruby had knocked on four doors thus far (this current one being her fifth in a series of what must have been close to fifty) and in each case, she was given candy. Out of those four doors, there had been two instances of short conversation—one so that a student could compliment her costume and the other simply for small talk purposes while his teammate fetched the candy. With sugar on the mind and mounting happiness that grew exponentially with each door and handful of candy, the otherwise socially awkward girl was able to traverse these conversations almost flawlessly. The exchanges were both brief and entirely superfluous, making Ruby feel confident in her speech as the conversations increased in number. This growing confidence was so light-heartedly fortunate for the young girl that Blake could not help but smile and nod to Yang's statement.

"I don't know what Weiss was talking about back there. 'Too old!'" Yang shook her head in disbelief. "_We_ are probably too old for this, but Ruby's not. Though, I have to admit, seeing her like this makes me regret not getting a costume for myself." Again, she sighed, this time to refocus herself. "Anyways, she deserves this. We didn't get to go trick-or-treating last year because of all the homework they piled on during my last year at Signal. She didn't want to go alone and I didn't want her going out by herself on Halloween, so we just stayed home while I worked on stuff."

Her tone had waxed reflective and began to sound almost remorseful as she continued. "She never said anything, but I could tell she was broken up about the whole thing—and not only on Halloween; I could tell she was discouraged for a couple weeks after. I mean, how would you feel if something you did for thirteen years straight suddenly stopped without knowing beforehand?" She seemed as though she had something else to say, but was interrupted by a self-imposed wince before she turned to her partner with an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, Blake. I didn't mean to bring the White Fang into this."

Truthfully, the Faunus had not interpreted her partner's hypothetical as referencing the organization. It had merely been a statement about the unfairness of one particular instance in Ruby's life. Because of this, Blake was not at all offended and moved her hand to find Yang's. "It's all right," she assured as she gripped a gloved hand. "I know what you meant. This is your way of making last year up to Ruby, and from what I can see, she seems to be enjoying herself." Despite this reassurance, Yang's gaze drooped to the floor as she internally chastised herself for her unwitting reference. Because of this, Blake squeezed the hand and repeated, "It's all right, Yang. You meant no offense and none was taken. Tonight is not about me anyways. It's about you and Ruby making up for lost times and you two enjoying yourselves."

As Ruby moved to the next door, yet another handful of candy filling her bag, Yang began to detach from her burdensome sentiments. "Yeah, I guess," she sighed before looking at her sister. Though the girl's face was obscured, Yang knew that beneath the mask was a beaming smile, and because of this, her own gradually returned. She reciprocated Blake's squeeze and smiled at her. "Thanks, Blake, but it's really not just about me and Ruby. How are you holding up?"

The girl in question shrugged. "All things considered, I am enjoying myself. Though, I cannot say I'm not confused as to how every team has happened to have candy. Other than that, I must say I am having fun."

"Well, that's good to hear." The couple returned their sights to Ruby who had just completed yet another set of doors, increasing her candy count with each successive visit. The three moved down the hall, Ruby to the next doors and the partners somewhat closer so that they could continue to talk while maintaining the guise of chaperones. Yang suddenly laughed at something, causing an inquisitive hum from Blake. The blonde shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm just thinking."

To this, Blake asked, "What about? I wouldn't have hummed if I wasn't interested."

"You're gonna think it's dumb." This was not the case at all, Blake thought as she ran a thumb over Yang's. With her free hand, the blonde scratched the back of her head sheepishly as she explained, "Well, I was just thinking that we're like two moms taking their kid trick-or-treating."

Before Yang could efface her observation that she believed to be sudden and laughable, Blake interrupted by clarifying, "Figuratively speaking, of course."

The Faunus smirked as she watched realization dawn on her partner. Once Yang understood that Blake was not taken aback by the comment, she smirked in kind. "Oh, yeah," she agreed. "Figuratively speaking, we're the coolest figurative moms in the figurative neighborhood, nay, the figurative world, who are taking their figurative kid—who also happens to be pretty cool—trick-or-treating. Figuratively, of course. Am I using that word right?"

The two began to laugh, unabashed and not at all bothered by their proximity to the other teams' rooms. For a moment, Ruby was concerned for the couple and turned to see if they were all right, but Yang quite literally waved this off, allowing her sister to continue while they recovered from their laughing fit. Eventually, Blake was able to answer "More or less," but by the time she did, the answer was so far removed from its question that it only spurred a comfortable silence. It was in this quiet that Yang disengaged her hand from her partner's so she could instead place an arm over Blake's shoulder, creating a hold that was both warm and absent-mindedly affectionate—simple in appearance and yet able to ward off the low temperature of this autumnal night.

The three would continue down the hall, Ruby finding candy in each and every one of the doors she knocked upon while the couple simply basked in the happiness that radiated off of the young leader. The bag she carried seemed too large at first to all parties involved, but as the encounters rose far into the double digits, the size of her bag became more and more practical. Blake did not pay this matter much heed, being preoccupied with the girl beside her, but once the bag began to strain her relatively frail leader, she became concerned. It should not be inferred that Ruby was becoming exhausted, for this was not the cause of Blake's worry. Rather, the word "suspicion" could aptly replace "worry" in this regard because the number of times Ruby and her efforts had proven successful was now suspect.

Nearly had Blake forgotten the impossibility attached to the existence of candy in this combat academy. Nearly had she dismissed the odd notion that not one but two teams would carry such sweets to give away without hesitation. And nearly had she overlooked the dubious gaze of Cardin Winchester so many rooms ago.

The entire situation was strange to the Faunus upon further analysis. Not only were all of the other first-year teams of hunters and huntresses willing to open their doors to a girl costumed as a Beowolf, they had been compliant and even conversational at times during this umbral hour. Moreover, the possession of candy by seemingly all teams within the dormitory was nothing short of perplexing and was the factor by which Blake was able to deduce that all was not as it seemed. The Faunus looked to her partner, slowly forming connections between the pandemic ownership of free-to-give candy, the uncharacteristically rapid shift of compliance in the leader of Team CRDL, and the glossed-over instance where Yang failed to respond to Blake's previous mention of the candy's suspicious nature. These connections led Blake to the conclusion that Yang was in some way involved with the other teams.

However, to prove this point, she would ask her partner directly, knowing that any roundabout method was likely to be avoided and turned in the blonde's favor. Eventually, Blake asked at a volume that was just quiet enough to avoid Ruby's detection, "Yang, why do the other teams have candy?"

Yang laughed (sheepishly from Blake's perspective). "How would I know? I'm just not asking because I'd probably jinx Ruby's luck!"

This caused Blake to frown. It was painfully apparent she was being lied to. "Yang," she implored.

The blonde sighed and brought her own voice to a whisper. "All right, fine. Just make sure Ruby doesn't hear this." Blake nodded, understanding that while this matter may have been unbecoming in some way, it would certainly not be malicious. "You know the rules about candy and going down to Vale on a school night. I couldn't take Ruby down to the city for Halloween, so I had to improvise and this was what I came up with. It took a bit of effort to smuggle a few bags of candy in; I had to call in some favors from people the school probably wouldn't want to be associated with." She paused and blinked. "You know, I never thought there'd be a day when I could say I smuggled candy anywhere."

She knew she had gone off topic and shook her head accordingly. "Anyway, yeah, I'm the one behind all this. It took a bit of convincing, but I got this entire wing to go along with this—well, at least all the way up to JNPR. Hopefully after we reach them, Ruby's bag will be full."

Blake's brows rose at this. She was surprised but not necessarily upset. Of course, the acts of smuggling contraband into the school and staying out past curfew were wrong, but if Yang was doing this just so Ruby could make up for the one year she had not been able to go trick-or-treating, then Blake could not help but sympathize with her partner. "So, this is all for Ruby?"

Yang nodded. "Whatever it takes." She then looked to Blake with a pleading smile. "But please don't tell her about this. I didn't exactly think everything through and I'm not sure how she'd react if she found out it was all fake."

However, none of this seemed fake to the Faunus. Regardless of if Yang supplied the candy and cajoled the other teams into playing along, Ruby's experience was still genuine, if unorthodox. Because of this, Blake would willingly keep her leader in the blissful dark than divulge information that could possibly deprive her of yet another Halloween. "I won't," she quietly assured as she leaned her head against her partner's collar. "This is a sweet thing you are doing for her."

Yang came to rest her head atop Blake's as the two continued down the hall after the form that shifted between a stationary Beowolf and a flurry of rose petals. "Thanks, Blake," the blonde said simply as they carried on through the dimly lit corridor.

Those many teams that Yang had previously spoken to quickly diminished, leaving only one door between Ruby and a filled bag of candy. By the time she neared this referenced divide, the bag had notably encumbered her physically. However, her enthusiasm had not yet waned and she gladly heaved this weight for the prospect of adding to it. From the time the group set out from their own room to the time they found their way back to the door across from it, little over an hour had passed, but in the eyes of those contented three, it felt as if mere minutes. Now, as she stood before Team JNPR's door, Ruby understood that this was her final stop before returning to her room—rather, this would be her final stop of this year's Halloween.

Yang smiled at Blake, silently thanking her for coming along, before she grinned at Ruby, encouraging her to knock. Though the mask concealed it, a similar expression was sent back to the blonde. Ruby turned to the door, took a calming breath so that she might remember this night for the years to come, and knocked thrice.

There would be a few seconds of silence before feet could be heard padding against the carpet on the other side of the door. In an instant, the portal was thrown open and "Trick or treat!" had been exclaimed. However, this exclamation was not muffled as it had previously been by the costume's mask and thusly startled the three in the hall. The exclaimer was not Ruby, but instead Nora who beamed down at the shorter girl. "Oh, look at you! Has the Big Bad Beowolf come to steal all our candy? Well, I can't let you have it!"

From inside the team's room, Lie Ren called his partner's name in a reprimanding tone that was both commonplace by this point and not at all mean-spirited. The girl flashed a sheepish grin before disappearing into the room just as quickly as she appeared. In her place came Jaune, dressed in his sleepwear and rubbing the back of his head. "Hey," he began nervously. "I, uh ... We don't exactly have any candy." His gaze turned to Yang and he recoiled upon seeing the displeased glare she was sending him. "Uh, I mean, we did, but Nora found some," he was interrupted by his teammate shouting proudly in the affirmative, "and then Pyrrha found the rest and threw them away."

From somewhere in the room, the girl in reference shouted, "I'm sorry! I thought Jaune was keeping them for himself. If I knew we were having visitors, I would not have done that."

Yang's glare softened somewhat, but did not entirely disappear. Because of this, Jaune let out an uneasy chuckle before turning back to Ruby. "Sorry about that. I guess we don't have anything to give out."

"It's all right," the costumed girl said, causing a wave of relief to wash over the concerned parties. "I think I've already got more than enough. Can you believe it? All the other teams had candy! And here Weiss said it'd be impossible to just find one." Again, Jaune laughed nervously, likely covering his knowledge of how these odds were possible. "Anyways," Ruby eventually digressed, "have a good night!"

For the first time since arriving at the door, Jaune smiled back. "Yeah, you too." He waved as he closed the door, leaving the three girls in the dark of the hallway.

They turned to the door opposite JNPR's and Yang sighed. The causes of this action were concurrent relief that this night had gone as planned and sadness that it had to end so soon. However, this latter sentiment was brushed aside by the closeness of the Faunus beside her. Simply because of Blake's comfortable presence, Yang smiled and turned to Ruby. "So, this is it. How do you think this Halloween went?"

Because of the bag's weight, shrugging had proved a difficult action, but Ruby managed nevertheless. "I thought it was pretty good. I mean, aside from all the phony conversations I had, it was great. Look at how much candy I pulled in! We never had a haul like this back home." Her cheerful nature caused Yang's grin to grow even wider.

"Yeah, I guess the Simmonses were holding out on us, huh?" From beneath her mask, Ruby giggled. "Well," Yang eventually said, "I'd call that a success wouldn't you?" Ruby nodded and so did Blake. Their respective reasons for answering were accomplished jubilation and warmed contentedness, but overall, the three believed that this night of impossible happenings had been fun and, as Yang said, successful. "So, you ready to head in?"

"Yeah, but do you mind if I try something first? I kinda have a plan and I wanna see if it works." Yang chuckled and gave her sister the go-ahead for her unstated machination. At this, Ruby turned to their door with what must have been a devious smirk that likely rivaled Yang's own when first she orchestrated this night. The young girl fixed her costume for maximum effect, ensured her nearly overflowing bag of candy was displayed appropriately, took a calming breath, and knocked thrice.

There was a minute of pause where the three in the hall stood motionless, waiting for any sign of movement from the other side of the door. At the end of this minute, the room's deadbolt was unlatched, calling into question the conviction of their fourth teammate in regard to her threats of locking the others out. The door was curtly pulled open, revealing a glowering heiress, dressed as if sleep had been postponed by the return of her partner and teammates. "Oh," she sighed uninterestedly, "you're back. Strange, I thought you three had been suspended at some point during your outing, but it appears I am unfortunately wrong."

Disregarding the antagonistic tone that had become routine by this point in their partnership, young Ruby Rose, in a tone as sweet and unfettered as she could muster from beneath the muffling mask, cheered, "Trick or treat, Weiss!"

The glare held by Weiss faltered for a fraction of a second as it became all of an uncertain frown, a twitching eye, and an incredulous stare, but she quickly recomposed. "I already told you not to involve me in your childish games. The idea was absurd from the onset, and to believe anyone would humor you on a school night at this hour is inane in its own right. Sooner or later, you are going to have to understand that not everything you desire will come your way—Wait." She interrupted herself, moving her condescending glare away from her partner's mask and to the bag. Her expression of superiority fell away in the brief moment it took for her to realize that the sisters had been successful in their endeavors. "You're joking. You actually found candy? How is this possible?"

Ruby shrugged before removing her mask and reveling in her escape from the stuffy confinement. After taking a restorative breath, she smiled at the confused heiress and said, "I dunno. The other teams just had it and gave it to me. I'm as surprised as you are!"

"I seriously doubt that is the case." Despite this quip, Ruby's smile only grew wider with the knowledge that her partner was no longer angry at her. "So, every other team just so happened to have candy they were willing to part with?"

"Yup!" the young leader chirped. "Kinda awesome, right?" There was no response to this rhetorical question in any sense. Weiss continued to stare in bewilderment at the impossible pile of contraband sugar. Seeing this, Ruby asked, "Why? Do you want some? I'd be happy to share with you; even I know there's more than I could eat by myself."

The heiress looked to her with a questioning glare. "You are such a child." However, nothing she could say on this night would be able to extinguish Ruby's enthusiasm now that prior doubts that had been planted in the young leader's mind were nullified. Ruby continued to smile and eventually caused Weiss' sighing resignation. "All right, fine," she said while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "If it means that much to you, I will accept." This concession brought about smiles from the other members of the team and caused Ruby's own to widen incredibly. "But," Weiss interjected, "understand that you are still a child and no amount of bribing will convince me otherwise."

Once more, the costumed girl proved incorrigible as she happily led Weiss into their room with the intent of apportioning the night's pull between herself and her partner. Weiss, while keeping her façade of indignity, smiled beneath its surface because the girl she had antagonized was fortunately unfazed, even after the numerous condescending remarks levied against her. Finally, the couple that had acted as chaperones followed their teammates inside before closing the door behind them.

The night would pass and any remaining tensions between the four would cool. Candy would be divided between the leader and the heiress (with a sizably larger portion being allocated to the former) and from this, Weiss' mask of incredulous disdain would fall for the time being to show that her doubts had spawned not from contempt for her teammates, but from odds that she had not been entirely comfortable with. Yet these odds had proven inconsequential by the hand of Yang who wanted only to see her sister smile. On this latest of all October's eves, the blonde's goal had been achieved and Ruby smiled gleefully at the reconnection to both a past life that had been forgone for her sister's sake and to Weiss, who had lost faith in the young girl over such a "childish" notion. None would fall victim to reprimands by any school authority and Team RWBY would instead bask in the harmless positivity created by the actions of tonight. The idea had been impossible and admittedly absurd, but this had not stopped the four from finding enjoyment and success in an otherwise unlikely orchestration.

* * *

><p>Have a safe and happy Halloween!<p> 


End file.
